Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character. —Horace Greeley

The race to replace termed-out county Supervisor Ron Roberts could be the political boxing match of 2018. That is, if the media provides the platform for a robust debate among the growing roster of qualified candidates.

But one of those candidates, construction/land-use attorney and community volunteer Omar Passons, has some doubts about whether the local press will look beyond political intrigue and push for a battle of ideas.

Some might view this as a logical argument from a candidate whose name is not Nathan Fletcher, the handsome Marine veteran, former Republican state assemblyman and unsuccessful mayoral hopeful whose political leanings have run the gamut over the years.

But county voters, Passons argued, deserve a discussion more on the merits of each candidate’s commitments and less on inside-politics machinations.

“You write to a broader audience than the small subset of people who are now enwrapped in the sort of inner-party back story,” he told Spin.

He pointed with frustration to a politics column by veteran reporter Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune this weekend about the race that focused primarily on Fletcher’s penchant to garner political flak from both sides of the aisle, given his political evolution from staunch Republican to independent and then to Democrat.

“We raised $126,000 by the [filing] deadline, and instead he writes about Fletcher’s convergence or transfer or whatever the thing is,” Passons lamented. “There’s so much substance that could be written about.”

But he remains hopeful, despite the challenge to break through the chatter.

“I look forward to that debate,” the North Park resident said, “and the extent to which I can have a conversation with journalists about how dramatic and important investing in children is, or how a quarter-of-a-million seniors can’t afford their basic needs in San Diego County. And that I’ve spent the time over the years holding values that relate to these issues and have spent that time to dig in and get to understand the substance of these issues.”

He noted that San Diego County Democratic Party leaders seem on a fast track to endorse Fletcher early, which party bylaws preclude unless a race is deemed “strategically critical,” which the party last week decided it was.

“We’ll never have that conversation if the conversation we’re always having is, is one candidate just destined for this?” Passons said. “That squeezes all the air out of all the other stories.”

Those stories would also include that of former state Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, who recently told a gathering of Bankers Hill residents that she is also jumping into the District 4 race. With a significant progressive following, she too will add substance to the conversation, if that is to be had.

Passons, with a master’s degree in public health, said his experience evaluating such programs would be well suited for the 40 percent of the county’s $5.78 billion budget that is dedicated to public health. His private-sector work defending companies, small business owners and individual homeowners has afforded him an opportunity “to have an earnest conversation with people who see the world a little bit differently.”

His time during college working as an in-home healthcare worker and Veterans Administration nurse’s aide taught him to appreciate the hard work of these dedicated folks who “don’t make enough because the jobs don’t pay well and they get exempted from all the labor protections,” he said. “That’s something worth talking about.”

In a recent interview with Voice of San Diego, Passons said if the region is to take homelessness and housing affordability seriously, then the county government needs to pay to build modest homes for people. “That doesn’t sound particularly revolutionary,” he conceded, “but when’s the last time you heard an elected official actually say that with their out-loud voice? Certainly not the county of San Diego.”

Added Passons: “But we’re not having the right conversation. We’re just not paying attention to the pieces of this puzzle that really matter. And with a $5.7 billion budget, the county has this opportunity. I fundamentally believe that our county government has a responsibility to do more to support those with the promise—our children—and to do a better job in supporting our senior citizens.”

But meanwhile, the endorsements for Fletcher continue to mount. He recently snagged nods from Councilmember Chris Ward, himself rumored on a fast track for a 2020 mayoral run, and from former Councilmember Donna Frye.

Frye said she gave the decision “much consideration” and did meet with Passons, whom she found “kind and thoughtful.” But she said she’s known Fletcher for seven years and determined that “he is the best and most experienced person for the job.”

Passons said he would soon unveil “a bunch of neighborhood-level endorsements” of his own, including “folks that are into children’s issues, senior issues and those who understand housing policy.”

He’s also been walking precincts since April. Unlike Fletcher, he doesn’t have the advantage of a marriage to a powerful state Democratic official (Fletcher married State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez on New Year’s Day).

“I’m just going out and knocking on doors and meeting people,” he said. “I’m campaigning the way I think it was intended, and that’s the way that goes.”

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if a significant Republican will enter the race. Former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has hinted she’s considering a run, and at least subconsciously, local media could be drooling over an eventual blistering rematch between her and Fletcher, both of whom ran for mayor in 2012.

Local Republican insiders seem ready to continue their hate campaign against Fletcher for abandoning the party, issuing on social media photographs of Fletcher with a host of former Republican notables, from current Vice President Mike Pence to ex-gubernatorial loser Meg Whitman.

Maybe it’s a pipe dream that substance will prevail, but one can always hope.